Process in the art of manufacturing asphalt by oxidizing heavy petroleum hydrocarbons



Sept. 2, 1930.

A. F. MacLAC HLAN 1,774,756 PROCESS IN THE ART OF MANUFACTURING ASPHALT BY OXIDIZING HEAVY PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS Filed May 12, 1928 A o o o o o o k 6 a o o o D 00000: 0000.? T

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-Patented Sept. 2, 1930 UNITED STAT PATENT o FIcE ALLAN I. HACLACH LAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS PROCESS IN THE ART OF MANUEAGTUBING ASPHALT BY OXIDIZINZ- HEAVY PETROLEUM HYDROCABBONB Application filed May 12,

This invention relates to a new and improved process in the art of manufacturing asphalt by oxidizing heavy petroleum hydrocarbons. By heavy petroleum hydrocarbons,

1 means petroleums or petroleum residuums heavier than 24 degrees Baum or such hydrocarbons mixed with natural or prepared asphalt.

About the only changes in the art of blowing heavy h drocarbons since the original discoveries o Byerly (U. S. Patent 524,130)

and Culmer (U. S. Patent 635,429) have been the use of heavier residuums, higher temperatures, larger volumes of air, and blending.

Present da practice is to blow or draw about 9000 on ie feet of air per hour, per ton of eleven degrees Baum flux for four to eight hours through hydrocarbon flux at 450 to 500 degrees F. This air and fumes are conducted 2 away from the still through a tank to condense part of the oil and then discharged into the atmosphere. This is equivalent to 60 cubic feet of air per minute per 100 gallons charged.

The disposal of these fumes has been and still is a serious problem in the art as they contain a quantity of oil and a disagreeable smelling gas. In some cases, they are burned or elsewhere they are run into a high stack and discharged into the atmosphere. Ordinarily more than 1% tons of air are used to produce 1 ton of asphalt and hundreds of tons of fumes are poured into the atmosphere daily.

at. l ave discovered that asphalt can be made fby passing most of these fumes back through the hydrocarbon, mixing them with a relatively small proportion of air or oxidizing gas, the proportion beingvaried to suit various conditions. If all the fumes are returned the rocess is very slow but practical results can he secured by the addition of as little as 5% fresh air.

The apparatus for my process costs less to tions, as no extra equipment is needed to carry away the large volume of fumes now handled. The accompanying drawing shows two forms of equipment that may be used to 5 carry out my process, Fig. 1 for blowing air install and less to. operate than most installa-' 1928. Serial No. 273,045.

and Fig. 2 for drawing air through heated heavy hydrocarbons.

A represents a still, heated by burner K, with an ordinary manhole E, pipe lines 15 and G which may be insulated or'cooled, and tank T to collect some of the lighter hydrocarbons that are carried over'by the gases. The perforated pipe P permits the oxidizing gases and fumes to bubble through the hydrocarbon.. Air can be introduced by partially opening valve D or valve 6. l

A small opening may be left at H where pipe G enters the still. it valve D is opened, the excess fumes will pass out at H. Ti valve C is opened, the fresh air is drawn in at H and the small amount of fumes released can be conducted wherever desired. Tani: T can be equi ped with bellies if desired and insulated i hottergases are desired.

The lid on manhole E is left on but not bolted down and in case of a flash, the pressure is relieved at this point. The blower B may be on any desirable or convenient level.

The still A is filled about half full of ll degree Baum residuum, heat applied and the blower started when a temperature of 300 F. is reached. The temperature is gradually raised to 475 F. and maintained until the asphalt reaches the desired consistency. With a l0-ton charge and a blower deliv'ering 1500 cubic feet of air a minute, it usually takes from four to eight hours blowing to reach 200 degrees melting point,ring and ball test, depending on the a1r pipe arrangement and the kind of residuum used. For fresh air in the system, I find. it convenientto have valves C and D have about onetenth the area of pipes F and G respectively and to open one of them about half way.

of manufacture. It is a we1l-known fact that only asmall percentage of ox gen is absorbed in oxidizing heavy hydrocar ons.

My process takes care of practically all the fumes or as much as may be found cmpatible with the speed of manufacture required. It economizes heat as the air retains considerable heat in circulating. It reduces, in fact almost eliminates the oil that is usually carried away in the fumes. It also increases the yield of asphalt by the reabsorption of some of the hydrocarbons in the circulating gases.

Hydrocarbons from different sources produce different asphalts and it is not practical to name them all. The amount of lighter oils that may condense from the fumes may run as high as 30% on some heavy hydrocarbons. I have made asphalt by my process where the sum of the condenser oil and the asphalt checked 99% of the original charge while with the process ordinarily used there would be a loss of 5% to 10% on the same grade of heavy hydrocarbon. 5 I claim: 7

A new and improved process of manufacturing as halt by oxidizing heavy petroleum hydrocariions by continuously circulating the oxidizing gas and the resulting fumes through the origlnal charge, adding as little as 5% of the volume of air used per 100 gallons original charge and maintaining the volume of gases and fumes circulating through the material approximately cubic feet per minute per 35 gallons.

ALLAN F. MAGLACHLAN. 

